Why would you read a manuscript?

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28 November 2016

Episode 268

30 minutes

It’s not often that you get your hands on a manuscript, whether it’s the first draft of a novel or an ancient text etched on vellum. On the show today we get to know stories in their original formats and discover what can be learned by experiencing them first hand.

‘Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts’

We pay the Parker Library at Cambridge University a visit to discover some of the UK’s oldest manuscripts. Here we meet fellow librarian Christopher De Hamel, who explains his passion for old books and why the journey that an ancient text has been on is almost as interesting as what is written on the page.

Walter Donohue, Faber & Faber

Walter Donohue is an experienced editor at one of the UK’s best publishing houses. Robert Bound speaks to him about the feeling he gets when a new manuscript – whether from an established name or a first-time novelist – lands on his desk.

Reprinting the classics

Editions des Saint Pères is a Parisian publishing house that’s reprinting the original manuscripts of classic novels. So far it has made beautifully bound books of the scribblings of Voltaire, Carroll and Cocteau and it is about to publish the first draft of Charlotte Brontë’s ‘Jane Eyre’. Co-founder Jessica Nelson speaks to Holly Fisher about what you get from a book in its original format.

Sam Swinson is the frontman of American trio Ohtis who, despite having been formed more than 10 years ago, are about to release their debut album, ‘Curve of Earth’. It’s an exploration of the religious cult that Swinson…

In this bumper festive special we relive some of our favourite sessions from 2018, including Sam Evian, Anna Calvi, Jess Williamson and Charles Watson, and get into the Christmas spirit with New Zealand duo Broods who play…

Robert Bound is joined by John Mitchinson, publisher at Unbound, and Susannah Butter, deputy features editor at ‘The Evening Standard’ to discuss ‘Middle England’, the new state-of-the-nation novel by Jonathan Coe.

With the annual battle for the best Christmas advert well underway we take a look at this year’s offerings and work out where festive TV commercials can go next. Robert Bound is joined by Toby Earle and Scott Bryan. Plus…